Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..

‘So You Think You Can Dance’: The first cuts are supposed to be easy

I have had complete strangers come up to me this past week and tell me how much they loved the opening routine from last week’s show. OK, maybe not complete strangers but MULTIPLE friends have mentioned this. Because, yeah! It WAS really good! Granted, so much of the love was because of this:

Fabulous.

I have now watched that .gif no fewer than 97 times. Make that 98.

But you know what? The rest of it was fantastic, too. You should watch it again:

I guess I’m just a sucker for long tracking shots (like that four minute long sequence in ‘Children of Men’ that I could link to but it’s full of so much blood. So much). This made me think about all those really long lip-dub videos shot all in one take (but no one likes to fess up how many takes it takes to get it right without someone falling over or dropping a camera or walking into a wall. It’s the Rube Goldberg device of videography). The ‘SYTYCD’ version last week is kind of the same thing, just replacing lip-syncing with some sweet dance moves. Anyway, I could spend a solid 3-4 days watching thesekinds of videos and I just might, if I didn’t live in the real world with real responsibilities. Fun fact: One of those linked videos is from MY high school! Great job, guys! There is no question that I would have been heading up this project if it existed when I was in high school.

Tonight is our first elimination night. That means that two dancers will dance like their future lives depend on it only to be cruelly taken from us in the last few minutes of the show (* or not, see below). It’s a confusing format but it’s the best we can do. I would also accept an email from Nigel the next day breaking down the results.

To the dancing!

7:00 Tonight, we open with Cat rocking a delightful updo and introducing the top 20 dancers. Would you have preferred them starting with the dancing right away? It seemed unnecessary to have Cat introduce them but hey, Emmy nominee Cat Deeley can do as she pleases.

7:01 I always like to guess who is choreographing a group routine prior to the judges announcing it. This felt like a Mia Michaels routine, what with all the leaping and fancy costumes. Instead, we learn that Tyce did it. You’re having a wonderful start to the season, Tyce. That makes two great opening routines this season. Fantastic.

7:02 Hold the phone. Now that I see the full Cat Deeley outfit, I’m less certain of what I think. It’s somewhere between a clubbing outfit and a summer picnic.

7:03 Joining Nigel and Mary this week is Veronica Corningstone, otherwise known as Christina Applegate. Good news!

7:05 It’s time to recap last week’s dances. Did I underrate Makenzie and Paul’s Viennese Waltz? That looked really good in the snippet.

7:08 Cat gets right down to business and announces the bottom 6 dancers: Makenzie, Alan, Mariah, Jade, Brittany, and Carlos. *Nigel announces that the eliminations will happen at the start of the show for the first time. However, the eliminated dancers will still dance with their partners later in the show. What do you, dear readers, think about this? Is it fair? I don’t know if there is a completely fair way to do this but I do wonder if getting eliminated early will harm your performance and subsequently, your partner.

7:09 Nigel elects to send Mariah, Jade, Brittany, and Carlos to dance for their lives later. He then saves Makenzie and and Alan. I’m really surprised Mariah and Carlos are both in the bottom. I actually loved their jive last week.

7:11 Mere seconds after being tossed into the bottom pile, Mariah has to krump it up on stage. I’m not entirely sure what I expected from a krumper but I don’t know if it’s strong enough to keep her in the competition.

7:12 In what can only be called a complete reversal of styles, Carlos dances his contemporary routine set to Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” a strong song choice. It’s big on jumps and tricks but not always cohesive in between the leaps.

7:16 Brittany has the chore of a giving a ballroom solo, never an easy task. The only option is to crank up the sex appeal to an 11 and hope for the best. She stumbles a bit on some of her high leg kicks.

7:18 Our final soloist is Jade. I thought he may have been the last one into the competition (even though that distinction technically goes to Aaron) given that he wasn’t as strong as others in his arguably limiting style. He’s still a very gifted dancer and it shows here. It’s more of an interpretive dance, not just popping and locking for the sake of popping and locking. You continue to surprise me, Jade.

7:20 This feels so strange to drop heavy emotional baggage on two dancers before they have to dance later in the competition. Nigel admits that the two dancers going home would not have been in his bottom four. With some hesitation, he says that Brittany and Carlos will be eliminated tonight. That means that next week, Mariah the Krumper will be paired with Bluprint the Animator. I can’t wait to see that.

7:26 Our first dancers of the night, Hayley and Curtis, join Ray Leeper for a jazz routine. Is Curtis the best bad boy? And is Hayley wearing a … well, I don’t know WHAT she’s wearing. But Curtis seems to be immensely enjoying the back half of it, let’s just say that. The routine is dynamite and certainly sets the tone for the evening. “Curtis, you’re a little giggle bucket,” says Mary, apparently channeling me when talking to my son (not named Curtis). Curtis gives off a good boy attitude but somehow pulls off this routine with flair.

7:31 Thirty-one minutes into the show and Christina Applegate speaks! She would like to see them be more fluid and move into words or something like that. I don’t know. She spoke for about 3 minutes about dancing into words and I got lost in the logic of it all.

7:36 You can be 15 years old on ‘American Idol’? Really? 18 on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ everyone. EIGHTEEN.

7:37 Tabitha and Napoleon work with Aaron and Jasmine Harper. Enough with the trucker hats, Tabitha! That’s two dances in a row with the sexual chemistry cranked up to ’9 1/2 weeks’. This one was a little more subdued than the last one but still just as effective. I still don’t know how far Aaron can go, but I fully expect to see Jasmine around for a long time. That said, I really like Aaron, and his partnering is fantastic.

7:47 Nappy Tabs will be teaching the master class routine for National Dance Day. Adam and Nigel will work on the beginner routine. All right, who’s going to join me for the beginner routine?

7:49 Nakul works with Malece and Jade for our first Bollywood routine of the season. Malece is playing hard to get but Jade is going to win her back. It does make me happy that ‘SYTYCD’ showcases dances styles from around the world. In terms of all Bollywood routines that we’ve seen on the show, this doesn’t look like a big vote-getter. It’s enjoyable like most Bollywood routines are but it fails to grab me. They both have great smiles that brighten the room and the judges are happy to give it up for the “Prince of Detroit,” Jade! Unfortunately, this routine could place Jade in the bottom again next week.

7:55 Stacey Tookey joins us next for a sequel! How appropriate, as we are in the summer season of movie sequels. In Season 7, she choreographed the wonderful Robert and Kathyrn. In the first one, Kathryn was going to war; this time, Alexis will be coming home from war to join Niko. Let’s all take a few minutes to watch soldiersreturninghome from war on youtube, just to make sure our tear ducts still work. The dance starts with a solo from Niko before Alexis joins him. It’s not nearly as strong as the original but the two tonight give off a warmth towards each other. It’s a tough piece to criticize given the subject matter but it’s not a top performance for the evening. That said, it’s still a dramatic improvement over their terrible hip-hop last week.

8:05 And we’re back to join Brittany (eliminated!!) and Bluprint for a Spencer Liff Broadway routine. Tonight, Bluprint will be doing a pirouette for the first time … in a faux library… to “It’s Oh So Quiet.” Bluprint is giving it his all but he’s just not on the level of the others. I’ll be curious to see how he does with Mariah next week.

8:14 Jasmine Mason works with Alan, who was shockingly in the bottom this week. Explain yourself, America. Tonight, they tango. I loved the intensity on their faces, particular Alan. His performance here is phenomenal and reminds me of All-Star Mark. Additionally, the last lift combination was absolutely flawless and to pull it off at the end when they’re so tired was spectacular.

Last week’s performance by Jasmine and Alan that put Alan in the bottom. America, don’t do that again. (fox.com/dance)

8:23 Makenzie and Paul work with Sean Cheesman this week for a jazz routine. Were all the girls’ outfits bought at Cindie’s or some other reputable shop? I’m sensing a theme tonight. Now that my Miguel look-a-like has been eliminated, I’ve moved on to thinking about how much Paul looks like Dave Franco. It’s uncanny.

8:29 Our next pair is Mariah dancing with Carlos, who has already been eliminated tonight. How will he perform with Mariah under the circumstances? They join Stacey Tookey for a contemporary routine about memory loss. Oh, Stacey, with your big ideas and stories. Like Mary, I am bewildered why these two were even in the bottom last week. I guess America doesn’t like jive. But will they like Mariah tonight in a contemporary piece? Are we giving her enough credit? She’s a krumper! We always talk about the guys and how they go so far out of their comfort zone but what about Mariah? I demand you give her credit.

8:40 Tabitha and Napoleon work with Fik-Shun and Amy this week. I just thought of something. If you put glasses on Fik-Shun, would he look just like Magnitude on ‘Community?’ I’m not sure if there has ever been a routine on ‘SYTYCD’ that has made me chuckle as much as this one did. From Amy’s booty shakes to Fik-Shun non-stop array of faces regarding Amy’s booty shakes, this was a masterpiece of fun. I want this routine framed and put up on the wall.

Pop, pop, indeed.

8:49 The final dance of the night belongs to Jenna and Tucker, who worked with Dmitry for a Cha-Cha. Could it be another sexy routine? You betcha! It’s really hard for the guys in these kind of routines to stand out when they’re mostly there to guide the woman around the stage. Remembering that this is a Cha-Cha dampens the effect somewhat. If we’re going to hold them to standards, this didn’t quite meet expectations. The Cha-Cha can be such a fun and dynamic dance and this simply wasn’t memorable.

8:58 Recap! Is it just a coincidence that when the song lyrics “When the lights go out…” come on during the dancer recap, my TV feed goes blank? I mean, what are the odds of that happening? It felt like the end of ‘The Sopranos.’

9:00 The first eliminations are over and I’m going to guess that the biggest topic of conversation is not the who but the when. One can certainly argue for Carlos or Brittany but forcing them to dance with their partner after being eliminated is a curious development. Please allow me to play devil’s advocate since I’m sure the Internet will decry this as an outrage. Part of me thinks it might actually be better. Allow me to explain. I get the impression that these dancers really, really like each other, much more so than contestants on other reality competition shows. Maybe that’s because of the incredible youth and utter lack of cynicism in these kids. That’s one of my favorite parts of this annual competition. Sometimes, it might seem over-the-top how much emotion the dancers show when one of their own is eliminated. The thing is, I don’t think it’s faked for television. It’s all real. That’s the kind of emotion that would cause you to dance for your life to help your partner, even if your fate had already been sealed. Until a dancer completely phones it in and directly affects their partner’s chances, I believe eliminated dancers will give it their all. Carlos and Brittany both did admirable jobs tonight and I expect others to follow suit in the weeks to come.

Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments what you thought about the format change. Did the right two go home?

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..